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Bike-packing Anyone have experience? Looking for advice.

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I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
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Livin it up in the O.C.
So a while back there was an article here on RM about some gravity racer guy that changed things up a bit and went on a multi day, unsupported mountainbike trip (at least I hope it was here on RM... I'd hate to get called out for cheating on the monkey!!).

On this adventure the guy was up in BC I believe. He fished for his dinner, camped under the stars and tried to avoid the bears. I was totally inspired... Now I want to do something similar. Maybe not solo though, me and 1-2 others. Though if they flake I may go solo anyway. :thumb:

I have a place picked out already, Henry Coe state park up in NorCal. So first, some images of my destination:









This is the largest park in CA, and the least visited. I've ridden there before, but only on short (25 mile) day loops that barely get into the interior of the park. The eastern part of the park is VERY remote and there are some lakes/ponds there that only see a handful of visitors every year. Some of them are nearly 25 miles from the enterance and vehicular travel is prohibited except for one day a year. I plan on going a week or two BEFORE that one day. General plan is to spend one day riding into the park, set up camp and spend the second day exploring from my base camp, then on the third day ride back out. The lakes there are full of bass, some trout etc. I have telescopic fishing poles I can bring to catch dinner (or supplement some of the camping meal in a bag things)


So now onto the questions and advice I'm looking for.

Have any of you done anything like this before? Do you have any general advice?

I plan to ride my Spitfire for this adventure... a FS bike that does not have any tabs for bike racks. Was thinking I'd bring a very large day-pack. Do you think that would work, or would it be to heavy/bulky. Advice on tyles of packs to buy/bring?

What about gear? I have a decent Bivy sack already and can buy a backpacking sleeping bag. Weather that time of year is supposed to be daily highs around 70, night time lows around 45. I figure a Bivy and a 40 degree bag would suffice. Seem adequate?

Besides what I list above and of course some sort of water filter, what should I bring? Matches and a striker... Camp skillet, maybe a small stove... Anything else? Plastic bottle with some tequila? :thumb:
 
4130biker

4130biker

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Cool idea, I'd like to do something like that someday. I don't have much advice, but I'll be interested to hear what people say here. I knew this rad dude named stinky john (after the bike) who did this while poaching the PCT on his kona stinky years ago... I was inspired but still haven't acted on it. I would go for a legal location, as well :)

The spot you've chosen looks amazing.
 
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I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
4130biker said:
This is it:
http://iamspecialized.com/gravity/video/lone-wolf-matt-hunter
Click to expand...
Awesome... thanks!!

So it looks like he didn't even bring a sleeping bag or a bivy, or a stove, OR even a water filter. I think that the filter might still be something I'd bring. There are some springs along the way, but just in case WATER is probably the most important thing to have.

I guess it depends on how many of us there are. If there are three, then is isnt' a big deal to have one guy with the stove, one with the filter... I'm re-thinking the pan thing though. Just a few pieces of heavy duty foil. CHECK!
 
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Montana rider

Montana rider

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Mar 14, 2005
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http://www.bikepacking.net/

I've done a few (2 or 3) overnight backpacking trips (with just a mid-size daypack, no panniers) and was much slower with the extra weight. You might want to do a few shake-down rides to get it dialed in.

I think dropping off stuff at a basecamp and riding from there would alleviate much of that...

If you're going to bring a cook pot (& fire) you could boil water (instead of filtering) and save that weight. I have an inline filter (though) which is lighter too.

Outside sleeping arrangement, food/water were the heaviest.

An extra pair of camp socks were nice to change into.

Booze = essential
 
M

Mike B.

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2001
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Give Brendan and Mary at The Hub in Idyllwild a call. They're bikepacker types (she did Tour Divide) and carry lots of the necessary gear at the shop. I'm sure they'll have some good advice for you.
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
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Cool idea. Definitely bring a water filter if you are going out there. There is no drinking water anywhere. And don't wait until the end of the season when all those small streams are dry. A buddy and I almost expired out there on a late August epic a few years back. Keep track of where the larger bodies of water are - don't count on finding water at the bottom of every steep ravine.

I might be wrong but as I recall, Hunter was only out for one night. Minimalist camping is easy if you just need to get through one night and can stay warm. You can stuff yourself silly before you leave, not sleep much, etc. A three day trip is different. At the very least, I'd bring some freeze-dried meals or something in case the fishing thing doesn't work out so well.

You'll probably also want at least some vessel for heating water, if not a small camp stove. Do you drink coffee?
 
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I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
OGRipper said:
Cool idea. Definitely bring a water filter if you are going out there. There is no drinking water anywhere. And don't wait until the end of the season when all those small streams are dry. A buddy and I almost expired out there on a late August epic a few years back. Keep track of where the larger bodies of water are - don't count on finding water at the bottom of every steep ravine.

I might be wrong but as I recall, Hunter was only out for one night. Minimalist camping is easy if you just need to get through one night and can stay warm. You can stuff yourself silly before you leave, not sleep much, etc. A three day trip is different. At the very least, I'd bring some freeze-dried meals or something in case the fishing thing doesn't work out so well.

You'll probably also want at least some vessel for heating water, if not a small camp stove. Do you drink coffee?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been to Coe, so I know the summer heat. Frog pond to middle ridge to china hole or pacheco flats whaetever it is down there... Then make my way over to Mississippi lake for base camp. Was thinking about doing it in late April. Fish are supposed to be the most active then. For coffee those new starbucks dry packs are pretty sweet. I'd also probably bring a stainelss water bottle for heating, or at least a small cup. Freeze dried meals as well, just in case. ;)
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
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Friend of mine raced the tour divide last summer. 21 days on the bike. Carried little more than a bivy sack and some clothes.
 
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TheMontashu

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For water, go katadyn they are the best, they also make these tabs called micropur that take a while, but do really well on the not tasting bad side of things. Otherwise they are THE name in filtration.

For a stove I have one of these, and it's basically amazing if you don't plan on just boiling water. Jetboils are probably the single most popular backpacking stove
http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/sol-cooking-system.html

If you want to go light, I also have one of these, it works well, but kind of a pain in the butt, and you are totally screwed if it rains as it's a wood burning stove
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/Hexagon-Backpacking-Wood-Stove

As well, remember when buying a bag, a 40 degree bag means your average male can sleep comfortably down to that temp with a full set of base layers on, if you sleep cold, consider something a bit warmer.
 
4130biker

4130biker

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Westy said:
Friend of mine raced the tour divide last summer. 21 days on the bike. Carried little more than a bivy sack and some clothes.
Click to expand...
Just watched "ride the divide" a doc on Netflix about that. Pretty cool! Not sure many can go that minimal, plus those guys are hitting small towns along the way to stock up on food.
 
4xBoy

4xBoy

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Jun 20, 2006
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I have been buying all the stuff I need next summer I plan on doing a few weekends alone riding.

Gear can get real expensive, real fast, when I get home I will post a pic. of my bike with the bag set up I have.
 
CrabJoe StretchPants

CrabJoe StretchPants

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TheMontashu said:
For water, go katadyn they are the best, they also make these tabs called micropur that take a while, but do really well on the not tasting bad side of things. Otherwise they are THE name in filtration.

For a stove I have one of these, and it's basically amazing if you don't plan on just boiling water. Jetboils are probably the single most popular backpacking stove
http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/sol-cooking-system.html

If you want to go light, I also have one of these, it works well, but kind of a pain in the butt, and you are totally screwed if it rains as it's a wood burning stove
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/Hexagon-Backpacking-Wood-Stove

As well, remember when buying a bag, a 40 degree bag means your average male can sleep comfortably down to that temp with a full set of base layers on, if you sleep cold, consider something a bit warmer.
Click to expand...

I'd trade the jetboil for a Soto OD-1R micro regulator stove and a 1-man cook kit from MSR (1.1L I think?). Stove and can of fuel both fit in the MSR kit for a nice compact setup. Reason I say this is the Soto blows away the Jetboil in terms of performance. On a winter overnighter last year when temps were hovering around 0, my soto was bringing water to a boil at least twice as fast as my friend's Jetboil......and started every time without having to worry about warm the fuel canister. Granted this isn't so much of an issue in CA, but for a similar price, the Soto is smaller, lighter and performs better than the Jetboil.
 
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ioscope

ioscope

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Jul 3, 2004
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Vashon, WA
I have done a lot of ultralight backpacking. Multi-week trips and weekends. The best gear for a water filter is one of those water-filtration bottles. It is both the lightest and most convenient. 1209064812_9616.jpg
A good knife is one of the tiny victorinox ones. They are light, good quality and multifunctional. An excellent stove is a home-made alcohol one. They are lighter, simpler, lower failure rate, and safer than any commercial product. Zenstoves.com supercat.jpg Also, they are free.

Get one of those nerdy racks that bolts to the seatpost, and at least use it to carry the heavy/bulky stuff. I know they are pretty light duty, so don't bring anything heavy. The downside to this plan is that it adds weight to the bike, but your back will thank you!

A space blanket is a really good thing to have to put OVER your sleeping bag. The bivi is unnecessary unless you expect rain. I would just go with the bag and a space blanket. A sleeping hat is crucial, and thick sleeping socks. Try to keep your tool kit to a minimum, tools and spares are HEAVY.
 
ioscope

ioscope

Turbo Monkey
Jul 3, 2004
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Vashon, WA
4xBoy said:
I have been buying all the stuff I need next summer I plan on doing a few weekends alone riding.

Gear can get real expensive, real fast, when I get home I will post a pic. of my bike with the bag set up I have.
Click to expand...
The best gear is actually quite cheap. The only high-dollar camping items that actually have superior performance are sleeping bags, shoes, packs, and mountaineering gear.
 
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TheMontashu

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Mar 15, 2004
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CrabJoe StretchPants said:
I'd trade the jetboil for a Soto OD-1R micro regulator stove and a 1-man cook kit from MSR (1.1L I think?). Stove and can of fuel both fit in the MSR kit for a nice compact setup. Reason I say this is the Soto blows away the Jetboil in terms of performance. On a winter overnighter last year when temps were hovering around 0, my soto was bringing water to a boil at least twice as fast as my friend's Jetboil......and started every time without having to worry about warm the fuel canister. Granted this isn't so much of an issue in CA, but for a similar price, the Soto is smaller, lighter and performs better than the Jetboil.
Click to expand...
2 of my co-workers took theirs to the Patagonia and had zero issues. Which jet boil? only the SOL has a regulator, all the others are sort of just on or off, so in low temps you run into issues. With the SOL you can open the valve way up and you're good to go.

I would definitely have to disagree with you on the soto over the jet boil. I have both, and the jew boil was a definite upgrade, the soto hasn't been used in over a year now. Used it at 7000 feet right around 20 last month with no issue
 
Mulestar

Mulestar

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2007
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I've done several 3 day trips in Pisgah National Forest with just a pack. I used a 22 liter osprey and it was maxed out. I wouldn't recommend going solo with just a pack or you'll be super loaded down. I always went with 3 people so water filtration, stove, tent, first aid, etc can be distributed between everyone.

Not sure how consistent your weather is but that can be a huge factor in how much gear you need to carry. We took some risks on weather for sure, not carrying rain jackets or tents on some trips. Usually your food, layers, water, and sleeping gear will pretty much max your load with a pack that size. Next time I go I'm going to take my fastfly setup from my tent (just poles, rainfly, and footprint).

I used a 32 degree bag which is pretty small and light. I use a thermarest neoair inflatable ground pad, also very light. For water, I've always used a katadyn hiker pro pump. Steripens are really nice and compact as well. A pair of slippers or sandals are a really nice luxury item if you have the room. If you've ridden for 8 hours in wet bike shoes the last thing you want to do is keep wearing them at camp.

I think my load with a full reservoir was pretty stout, at least 20 lbs. You will definitely be riding at a slower pace when you're that loaded down but we still did many burly climbs.

Booze is definitely a must. Have fun.
 
Mulestar

Mulestar

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2007
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These are from Wilson Creek, NC in March 2010. Be prepared for pain and delirium.





We didn't exactly set mileage records on any of my trips but we bagged many burly descents and got thouroughly buzzed up.
 
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TheMontashu

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Mulestar said:
I've done several 3 day trips in Pisgah National Forest with just a pack. I used a 22 liter osprey and it was maxed out. I wouldn't recommend going solo with just a pack or you'll be super loaded down. I always went with 3 people so water filtration, stove, tent, first aid, etc can be distributed between everyone.

Not sure how consistent your weather is but that can be a huge factor in how much gear you need to carry. We took some risks on weather for sure, not carrying rain jackets or tents on some trips. Usually your food, layers, water, and sleeping gear will pretty much max your load with a pack that size. Next time I go I'm going to take my fastfly setup from my tent (just poles, rainfly, and footprint).

I used a 32 degree bag which is pretty small and light. I use a thermarest neoair inflatable ground pad, also very light. For water, I've always used a katadyn hiker pro pump. Steripens are really nice and compact as well. A pair of slippers or sandals are a really nice luxury item if you have the room. If you've ridden for 8 hours in wet bike shoes the last thing you want to do is keep wearing them at camp.

I think my load with a full reservoir was pretty stout, at least 20 lbs. You will definitely be riding at a slower pace when you're that loaded down but we still did many burly climbs.

Booze is definitely a must. Have fun.
Click to expand...
Weather where he's talking about is very predictable

25lbs is a pretty standard weight for a full load now-a-days, mine was 25 for 3 days on my last trip with a 5 liter bag of box wine in it.

On the slippers/sandals note, they are a GREAT idea for backpacking (I can imagine even better for biking, as I would rather have my boots on all night than sidi's) as camp shoes. I have found recently that a pair of vibram 5 fingers is even better. They are roughly the same weight as sandals but are as usefull as a pair of vans or something like that. Hell, I even day hike in mine.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-TrekSport-Mens.htm
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

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Sep 21, 2003
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TheMontashu said:
Weather where he's talking about is very predictable

25lbs is a pretty standard weight for a full load now-a-days, mine was 25 for 3 days on my last trip with a 5 liter bag of box wine in it.
Click to expand...
Wait. You were carrying 11 pounds of wine... which means everything else was 14 pounds? 14 pounds for a 3-day trip is pretty good. Were you not carrying any water?
 
Mulestar

Mulestar

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Sep 18, 2007
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SkaredShtles said:
Wait. You were carrying 11 pounds of wine... which means everything else was 14 pounds? 14 pounds for a 3-day trip is pretty good. Were you not carrying any water?
Click to expand...

That's a lot of weight just to feel like sh1t. I'll stick to whiskey for my multi-day adventures.
 
DirtyMike

DirtyMike

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Aug 8, 2005
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You can get a Mini mess kit for about 6 bucks at walmart that will work well for a trip like this. Its light and compact. I would probably replace it after each trip though...... Not the highest quailty but it works well for a week long adventure.

For lakes and streams that rarely see people, might I suggest a flyrod and flys for your fish catching needs. Thats the style of food they are used to eating, so thats what you will catch them on. I can tell you this, your not going to catcha bass at these lakes on a crank or swim bait, they are going to be looking for the readily available food source. Fly rods can cost alot, flys themselves are cheap. If your not looking for the expense of a flyrod and learning how to cast, then use your telescopic and take some swivels and a water floa and still use the fly's. A good set of streamer flys should suffice very well..... Matuka's, Buggers, royal coachmen to name a few good ole reliable's. Maybe throw in some mosquito's and some midges, possibly some emergers and your going to be set.
 
CrabJoe StretchPants

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
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Groton, MA
TheMontashu said:
2 of my co-workers took theirs to the Patagonia and had zero issues. Which jet boil? only the SOL has a regulator, all the others are sort of just on or off, so in low temps you run into issues. With the SOL you can open the valve way up and you're good to go.

I would definitely have to disagree with you on the soto over the jet boil. I have both, and the jew boil was a definite upgrade, the soto hasn't been used in over a year now. Used it at 7000 feet right around 20 last month with no issue
Click to expand...

Like I said, try it in cold temperatures and get back to me. Not sure what jetboil my friend had, but the Soto blew it away, and it's 1/2 the size.
 
T

TheMontashu

Pourly Tatteued Jeu
Mar 15, 2004
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CrabJoe StretchPants said:
Like I said, try it in cold temperatures and get back to me. Not sure what jetboil my friend had, but the Soto blew it away, and it's 1/2 the size.
Click to expand...
I've used mine down to ten degrees and was boiling snow in less than 2 min. He must have had a flash, you can't turn up the regulator so they don't do as well in the cold. The SOTO may be lighter, but it uses allot more fuel, the difference in weight is offset after an extra fuel can or 2
 
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I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
For the pack, I was looking at a Kelty Redwing 50. Seems like it would have the post potential space and it isn't like the back-packing packs where it sticks up above the neck (where your helmet would hit it in the "attack" position).

Stove will probably be whatever my buddy Dave already has. He did a full AT through hike, so I'm sure it is decent quality. I think he has a filter as well. Though I do have one of those water bottle filters myself, it has never been used and is at least 8 years old.

Kelty Redwing pack:
90325_cyp.jpg

Bag: Weight 2lbs; Packs to 11x7in size
43171.jpg

Clone version of this Bivy sack. Figure it will add a few degrees to my bag and more importantly, keep that lone mosquito from buzzing in my ear all night and keeping me up.
070a0ef0-eddf-4a82-bd30-111f4590cce4.jpg
 
Mulestar

Mulestar

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2007
1,061
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in the dirt
That stuff would work fine but just fyi that pack is over twice as large as what I have used successfully in the past. If you already have it, it should work fine underloaded but if you're buying specifically for bikepacking I would go for something around 30 liters. I used a 22 liter and it was packed full but It's worked on 3 different trips.
 
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-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
Mulestar said:
That stuff would work fine but just fyi that pack is over twice as large as what I have used successfully in the past. If you already have it, it should work fine underloaded but if you're buying specifically for bikepacking I would go for something around 30 liters. I used a 22 liter and it was packed full but It's worked on 3 different trips.
Click to expand...
Don't know if that will be enough for me. Looked at the following video for the Osprey Esc-30 and it looked like it would be way too small for a sleeping bag, fishing poles and maybe a warm layer for around camp at night.

They do have a "44" version of the Kelty, so maybe I could go with that instead.

 
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